Sunday, March 30, 2003

The latest Open Sound System (OSS) device drivers (for my Conexant Riptide sound card) - OSS 3.9.7h works excellently on my system. Auto detection and auto sound testing is allowed no IRQ problems this time around . . . no freezes. Only in the beginning of playing a track, a scratch sound occurs and volume control on KDE is to be used with the KMix sound mixer to reduce the initial volume set to 100% by default.
VISIT http://www.opensound.com/THE CATCH ! The evaluation copy of OSS comes with a FREE limited time evaluation license which is activated on the day you install OSS. The software will only work for a limited time. After activation each time it works only for a period of 3 hours(no problem with that). Ofcourse a permanant license key can be ordered. These guys (4Front Technologies) make drivers for all flavours of UNIX, Great !

Now the only problem is my Rockwell winmodem . . . It Sucks, On Linux! On Windows (98 only, not 2K or XP) It Rocks !

And in Iraq the war draws longer and longer with the Iraqi people and forces displaying stiff resistance, but finally the greedy 'might is right' US will prevail in their illegal, illegitimate invasion of Iraq or will it be arepeat of Vietnam ?

Saturday, March 29, 2003

Using PCQ Linux 8.0 (Kernel 2.4.18 - 24.8.0) a rip-off from RH Linux 8.0 with some added functionality and latest updates till Feb 03 from RedHat. Cool antialiasing and other features HP Deskjet was instantly detected and works fine a truck load of drivers are pre-available. Sound(Riptide) and modem(Rockwell winmodem) as usual dont work yet - drivers will be required ! Taking lots of leaves from work; as a set of pending leaves are to be finished by financial year 2002 end (march end). PCQ Linux with antialiasing and themes and all else is coool . . . but the PCQ guys missed to add GNU Chess in the games - my favourite ( fools ;-( ).

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

The war goes on :
Guard are dictator's last hope
By Rachel Morris and agencies
March 26, 2003

THEY are highly trained, armed to the teeth and apparently blindly loyal to their President and brother in arms Saddam Hussein.
The Republican Guard which lies in wait for coalition forces as they approach the capital Baghdad are their master's trump card in this war.
Concealed in entrenched positions around schools, hospitals and mosques � away from military buildings that might be targeted by allied bombers � they are ready to fight.
They are better equipped, better trained and better motivated than the conscripted foot soldiers who have surrendered en masse.
"There will be surprises," coalition forces commander General Tommy Franks said last week. "We have not yet seen them."
The Republican Guard was formed in 1986 when Saddam's army suffered surprise defeats at the hands of arch enemy and neighbour Iran.
They also pioneered the modern use of mustard gas and other chemicals.
It is believed the Guard has six divisions with about 60,000 men.
There is also the Special Republican Guard with 15,000 men and 100 tanks.
The Special Republican Guard is now the only major force trusted enough to operate in central Baghdad and provide protection for Saddam and his inner circle.
And inside the Republican Guard is the elite of the elite � the Fedayeen Saddam � which has been planted into the regular army to stop them from surrendering.
The regular army is so distrusted by the highest levels of the Iraqi regime that, before this conflict, tank units were issued with only six shells for their guns so there was no chance they could launch a successful rebellion.
When the regular army is defeated, the Fedayeen Saddam then go behind the lines and attack coalition forces.
The members cover their faces and alternate between white uniforms in summer and black in winter.
The key to the Guard's loyalty lies in their background � their privileges and indoctrination.
Like most nations in the Middle East, Iraq is a tribal society where power is based on bloodline, kinship and long-standing friendship.
All members of the two units come from tribes and towns close to Saddam's regime, mainly from Tikrit north of Baghdad, and almost all are Sunni Muslims, the same branch of Islam as Saddam.
Completing the circle of fear and indoctrination is the fact that all Republican Guard units are under the direct control of Saddam's son Qusay.
Qusay rules the Republican Guard with a mixture of bribery and fear.
Each division has a 200-strong unit attached to it, called the Siriya, which will kill anybody who thinks of desertion or fails to fight. Possession of civilian clothes which might aid desertion leads to instant execution.
Each fighter is a volunteer, rather than a conscript, earning 11,000 dinars a month � 4000 dinars more than the regular army.
They also receive superior rations and subsidised housing. In some cities and villages, it is a great honour to have a son join the Guard.
They carry top notch ammunition, are equipped with the latest in Soviet weaponry and have gas masks and copious supplies of expensive antidotes to chemical attacks � all not available to the regulars.
The Guard is highly trained in the use chemical artillery, which could be their not-so-secret weapon � one that, if Saddam's back is against the wall, they will use without fear.
The Daily Telegraph

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

I have long since blogged. I am losing interest in a lot of things ??? War now seems imminent with belluigerent Bush and Saddam sticking to their guns
India will surely reach the finals and then uncertainity. Then here work goes on. I am staying back at home all the time ; need to reverse this trend and go out once in a while. Thought of buying The Demon in the Freezer & Hot Zone by Richard Preston - each is INR 500+. COSTLY NAA? Bought PCQLINUX 8.0 made from RH Linux 8.0 - actually father bought it when he had gone out . . . Need to install it and try out; my hard disk seems to be stalling off suddendly troubled times ahead donno ? Lets see what lies ahead. Running a online McAfee Scan as I type cause I am also suspecting viruses . . .
This is what Mc Afee says about it :
VirusScan Online is the #1 online anti-virus solution, providing around-the-clock protection for your PC. With over 63,000 computer viruses identified, and another 500 discovered each month, why take chances?

About Me

"Living systems are never in equilibrium. They are inherently unstable. They may seem stable, but they’re not. Everything is moving and changing. In a sense, everything is on the edge of collapse." — Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park.Our research paper as conference proceedings is now accessible here: 'A Framework for Creativity-oriented Autonomy based on Online Social Networks'. Balasubramaniam Shekar and Shamit Bagchi. Keywords: Organization Structures; Art Industry; Online Social Networks; Self-Organization Theory